Young Children of Rohan
by Feather in a Pillow
Summary: Two siblings cling to each other as they do to life itself. Lots of OC-ness.
1. The Stables

A young girl sat in a small, abandoned shed in Rohan, light leaking through the boards and onto her dull blonde hair, which was whisking slightly in the faint breeze that came from the creaking door. Her rags were torn and old, and in her hand she held a small doll, straw hair sticking up over the fluffed body, miniature arms made of old sleeve protruding from the side. The doll, as well as the girl, was dirty from head to toe.  
  
She smiled as she rocked it from side to side; humming a song she had learned from her beloved brother. It was a soft tune, and was, in fact, written especially for her. Orphan as they were, as long as they had each other, they would be filled with all the love and bliss that Arda could have. She was caught in a moment of tranquility as the aged door screeched open, and she jumped with a start, before turning and having a new light come into her face. A light no fire could make.  
  
"Linif!" she cried happily, jumping from her spot on the dirt floor and running to her brother, whose own radiant hair was full of mud, his features looking as grimy, if not more, than his little sister's. His clothes were, however, more intact than the girl's.  
  
"Ah, dear sister, I said I would come back before dark, did I not?" he said, running his coarse hands through his sibling's locks, as she buried her head in his garments. She looked up, a grin finding its place on her visage.  
  
"Aye." She replied, pulling away from the hug, and looking at her sibling's hair with an amused expression. "What did you do?" she asked, chuckling softly at his appearance.  
  
His face became grim for a second, but he shrugged, not wanting to trouble his sister. "Nothing, Lintae. Just. . . fell. Yes, I fell." he said with a satisfied nod. That would please his infantile sister as a reasonable answer. His thoughts were confirmed when she nodded her head happily, setting the doll on the ground.  
  
She thought for a moment, before jumping up and down eagerly. "Can we go to the stables?" she asked, love for horses shining through as she clutched to his attire again. "Please?"  
  
He smiled kindly, squeezing Lintae's small shoulders softly. "Of course." He picked her up gently as she grinned into his face contently, and like that they walked out of their shack, and headed toward the famous stables of Rohan, and though they were only a few steps away from their home, it seemed as though they could already smell the horses.  
  
The stables came into view, the sounds bringing Lintae out of her state of drowsiness. She looked up, her tresses cascading forth over her face as she nodded in recognition, tugging on Linif's sleeve to get down. Once he lowered her to the ground, she shot off, running as fast as her minute legs would carry her. Her brother laughed, and at once set off after her, chuckling softly.  
  
He caught her by the shoulders, catching her in a soft net of his figure. "Lintae, we must not get in trouble. Now let us enter the stables as good children." he said quietly, but was grinning from ear to ear. Lintae pouted slightly, but nodded. They walked along the horse trodden grass, entering the structure in which they were kept.  
  
Both of them took in the sight before them. Though they frequently visited, it never ceased to amaze them. All the horses, colors mixing into a wonderful design that made Lintae gasp in awe. All muscular, hearty, and simply wonderful. And because of this, the odor was resistible.  
  
The girl immediately ran to a nearby blue gelding, muttering "Hey, boy. I bet you want to go outside. . ." Linif, however, was in a totally different situation. He felt his throat constricting, and was finding it very hard to breathe. He leaned again the wood wall, a pain in his shoulder, and he rubbed it as he took jagged breathes. He began to get dizzy as he saw black clouds form over his eyes.  
  
"Linif?" A voice broke through his pain as he glanced over, using all his willpower to stay awake. He smiled gently as he ruffled her curls. Her look of concern did not falter, however.  
  
"I'm just tired, sister. I'm fine." He did his best not to make his voice waver. She finally nodded, returning her attention to the horses. The boy sighed, not knowing how much longer he could hide his problems. And how much farther would they go?  
  
The sun began to cascade beneath the plains, colors weaving in and out of the grass in an almost heartbreaking scene to the onlooker. The world was becoming evil, and even the least wise could sense it. The red in the sun wasn't reassuring.  
  
The two finally set home, to the undecided future that fate had bestowed upon them. The next part of their life was a fog. Even the next day was as if a rose. The flower or the thorns?  
  
~To be continued~  
  
A/N- Muse booming. Seriously. I'll probably introduce Eomer as a kid later. Now, you must decide, should I make him nice or not? Heh, this is going to be my favorite story ever!  
  
Big plans. ^^' 


	2. Pain

Disclaimer- None mine. Except all the characters. So far. Because they are mine. . . . Yay? ^^'  
  
***  
  
It was morning. Birds sang their first light tune as they flew above the city, feathers glinting as they reflected off of the mounting sun. Directly beneath a large, joyful mocking bird, a young boy crouched in the middle of the road, clutching his shoulder as if his life depended on it, eyes squeezed tightly together. His legs were crumpled beneath him in a painful manner. His flaxen hair was enclosed in dried mud, his old clothes stained with fresh blood that had been emitted from his mouth. His knees were scraped as he had just fell, something that that been happening more often in the past days, something he worried about frequently.  
  
'Stay awake. STAY AWAKE! You can get through this. Lintae needs you. She needs you. . .' The thoughts kept repeating in his mind as he rocked back and forth nervously in his pain. He felt his throat constrict and more read liquid splattered itself on the dirt. He watched it soak in and began feeling sick in his stomach. He tried to stand, managing to get on his knees before they caved in beneath him.  
  
He heard footsteps nearing him. No one could know about his problem. They would tell Lintae. . . He pitifully crawled to the side of the road, pulling himself with his hands as best he could as he felt his eyes brim with tears. How pathetic he looked, a once brave soul now withered into a helpless being. He coughed again, this time swallowing the crimson fluid. He curled up in a ball, sobbing into his knees as he heard the steps come nearer.  
  
The bearer of the steps passed, passing him as if he were invisible. Nobody would care about an orphan like himself. He thanked fate for that; he would keep this to himself. But, in the back of his mind, he knew someone would see. If only he knew what was wrong with him! Maybe then he could fix it so he could continue to scurry through the streets everyday for food, begging every man and woman, and repeatedly hear their negative remarks.  
  
His head began to clear as he wiped his eyes, feeling his strength return. He pushed up the ground meekly, wobbling as he stood. He doubled over, emitting a brown, sticky substance from his mouth. He dared not look at it as he clutched his stomach miserably. He stumbled weakly on the path home, looking only at the ground, fighting the urge to throw up again. He stopped for a moment, trying to regain his composure before seeing his sibling, and saw the shed came into view.  
  
For the first time he realized how poor their 'house' was. Some boards were missing, both on the side and on the roof, so every time it rained they would try to stay out of the clear bead's way that was pouring down, though it was near impossible. Moss grew on the surface, covering the old, decayed wood. The crown looked near collapse, as if any second they could die from the boards caving in and striking the wrong place. All around the shed was simply dirt; pebbles intermixed with the substance, old footprints showing from when they used to play tag together in the shining sun, completely oblivious to their situation.  
  
He sighed softly, knowing he would never be able to do that again without almost dying. He shuddered at the thought, his jade eyes becoming glazed as he stifled another sob, reflecting off the growing light that was now high in the sky, though all the birds had stopped chanting, as if feeling the ache that grew in the youthful boy's spirit. He hoped his sibling would not notice the blood spread all over himself, then he would have to come up with another reason, and eventually she would catch on. He could almost see the panic in her eyes; see them crying together each night. He didn't need anymore pain in their stripped family.  
  
He took a small step, hearing the crunch in the material being pushed farther into the ground, and took another, nearing the place he was dreading. When he got to the battered door he could here Lintae's faint snoring, a sound that was more like a wheeze, the wind whispering in the dead of the night, a sound that made him smile for the first time that day as he snuck in, his sister's frail body strewn across the floor in a comfortable manner. Finally feeling close to his normal state, he ambled over to her, bending down and shaking her gently, some of the blonde strands catching his grasp.  
  
She looked up, a grin showing as she saw who it was. "Brother. . ." she mumbled, shifting her form so she was leaning against him. "What is the plan for today?" She was completely unaware of his crisis, rather saw him as the same fatherly figure he had always been.  
  
Linif thought for a moment while stroking her hair absentmindedly, thinking of what they could do. "Let us just relax today, Lintae." he finally said, ignoring the shocked expression that spread across her face. He forced a chuckle, trying to make it sound not too strained. "Do not worry, only today. Tomorrow we shall do something." Even as he said this, he knew he would regret it later.  
  
She nodded, satisfied, as she sat up, staying inclined against him as she did so. They stayed in that position for quite awhile, entertaining themselves by listening to the soft drums of horses nearby, the conversations of various men, learning of each of them in turn. They would contemplate the problems of men feeling strained from work, of women feeling they deserved more respect, and Lintae would always comment, Linif nodding in recognition. But then he heard something he didn't expect.  
  
A woman was having the same problem he was.  
  
He felt his heart hammering in his chest, fighting the urge to squirm in slight fear. His mind clouded again, and he felt himself shake slightly, listening to all the things happening to this women. The shoulder, the blood, the blackness. . . He grew even more fearful as Lintae commented how terrible that sounded. Linif swallowed frightfully, before finding the power to speak.  
  
"Aye."  
  
***  
  
A/N- Yay! Another chapter! Sorry it took so long, History. -shudders- Thankies to my two reviewers! Haldir replicas to you! ENJOY!  
  
And to Luhtarian- I saw some of the reviews you left other people. And, plus, in one of my dreams you reviewed. But you called my characters Not and Ji and said elves needed berries for energy. Weird, huh? I'll review your story tomorrow when I'm not so lazy. ^^' 


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